'Sheikh Hasina will be back in Bangladesh once...': Son Sajeeb Wazed's U-turn
Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister, resigned in the face of massive public protests and fled to India earlier this week.
Amid the uncertainty over former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's travel plans, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy on Thursday said that the 76-year-old leader will be back in the country as soon as democracy is restored. Joy also said it has not yet decided whether Sheikh Hasina will return to Bangladesh as a "retired or active" politician, according to PTI.
Joy's remarks come days after he, speaking to a TV news channel, asserted that Hasina wouldn't return to Bangladesh.
“Yes, it is true that I had said she wouldn’t return to Bangladesh. But a lot has changed in the last two days following continuous attacks on our leaders and party workers across the country. Now we are going to do whatever it takes to keep our people safe; we are not going to leave them alone,” PTI quoted him as saying.
"Awami League is the largest and oldest political party in Bangladesh, so we cannot just walk away from our people. She will definitely return to Bangladesh once democracy is restored," he added.
Read: Indian visa centres in Bangladesh shut due to ‘unstable situation’
The ousted Bangladesh premier fled to India in a military aircraft following her resignation and landed at Hindon airbase near the national capital on Monday. She has been moved from the airbase to an unspecified safe location, people familiar with the developments told HT.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, a harsh critic of Hasina who landed in Dhaka on Thursday to lead an interim government, has appealed for calm against the backdrop of continuing violence in parts of the country. Joy expressed hope that Yunus would adhere to his commitment to moving forward without "letting past mistakes overshadow the future."
"I hope he stays true to his word," Joy said.
Read: Sheikh Hasina's daughter Saima Wazed: 'Can't see, hug my mother…'
On his political future
Regarding his own political future and that of his sister, Saima Wazed, Joy remained non-committal.
"I can’t give a definite reply to this question. But I will do whatever it takes to save Bangladesh and protect the Awami League. The Mujib family would not leave them in a lurch," he said.
He also blamed Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, for fuelling the ongoing unrest in the country.
"I am quite certain given the circumstantial evidence; I suspect Pakistan ISI’s involvement. The attacks and protests were very coordinated, meticulously planned, and intentional efforts to keep inflaming the situation through social media. No matter what the government did to control the situation, they kept trying to worsen it," he said.
